Michael J. Daly: Living in a society means difficult decisions

Published 5:08 pm, Friday, January 18, 2013

The other day a burglar was arrested in Fairfield. According to police, the guy had been arrested at least 56 times before.

That is not a typographical error. Fifty-six times. A "five" and a "six."

In this most recent event, a police officer got into a tussle with the guy and the cop's gun went off accidentally. Simply by good fortune, the bullet that flew out went into the ground.

The bullet did not hit the cop in the head, say. Nor did it go through a wall or window and hit a little kid or an adult or a dog or a vase.

Who knows what might happen in the course of the 58th, 59th or maybe the 75th arrest?

There are people in prison for long, long terms because of various mandated sentences instituted when we started getting serious about illegal drugs.

Drugs are bad. Don't get me wrong. But what are we waiting for this guy to do before giving him an extended absence from society?

This is the kind of stuff cops have to live through, dealing with people and situations that the rest of us like to avoid.

And though the only gun play in the Fairfield burglary was the accidental discharge of the cop's gun, the story is germane to the ongoing debate over gun control.

As all rational parties would agree, it's a complicated issue.

There are predators walking around. There are mentally ill people walking around. There are aimless, goal-less kids walking around with real and imagined grudges to satisfy. Many of them should be in a jail or an institution.

None of these people should ever be allowed to have a gun in their hands. But it's going to happen.

The mental health system needs examining and strengthening. Legislatures need to look both at the laws that have been created, and consider new laws that are needed.

And, of course, the types of guns that are readily available for purchase have to be looked at.

The National Rifle Association may have a point when it says gun-control is not the answer to the violence that has seeped into our environment.

No, it is not "the" answer, but it is definitely part of the answer.

When a weapon created for use on a battlefield gets turned on civilians in a domestic setting, it's time for a look at that weapon.

And, as President Obama said the other day, it's time for a renewed ban on the sale of those weapons.

Though the NRA probably has some valid points to defend, it is discouraging and infuriating when its leadership's starting positions are along the lines of "The President wants to destroy the Second Amendment," or "Why are you going to punish law-abiding gun owners?"

No one -- no one -- is talking about destroying the Second Amendment. We have a right to bear arms. Period. But we can't talk about just where we draw the line on the type of arms? We certainly can, and will.

Who is punishing law-abiding gun owners? They can bear arms.

We live in a society. That means different groups or people with varied interests have to get along. We hold society together by everybody being considerate. There are people who would like to drive their cars 100 miles per hour. We've all decided that's not a good idea, so we don't allow it.